Will I be looked down upon?

Nurses General Nursing

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My ultimate goal is to become a FNP. I start tomorrow as a new grad in the ER which I'm very excited about and I plan on working full time for a year then going to part time and starting the masters program next fall. I will need references to get into the program so I figured if I'm doing a good job I would ask my preceptor and manager for the references. Do you guys think I may get treated differently if I do that? I had a clinical instructor that treated me different when I told her I wanted to go back to school after a year. She said it was a bad idea and I wouldn't have enough experience. Thoughts?

Specializes in Surgery.

I have worked with many nurses that came to the OR and went through an extensive orientation of at least 6 months and then worked a few months just to leave to go to NP or CRNA school. this does make the preceptors look down on them because we would take so much time, move slower etc. to make sure they understood what they were doing and why, only to fel betrayed when they leave. Understanding all along that this is how people advance but it is tough to work along side and train someone knowing that they are only there to learn the basics and leave. Then the cycle starts over again.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
Embrace your new job. Enjoy being a nurse. Learn everything you can. Invest in your employer and your professional development. Join committees. Get board certified in your specialty area. Be in the moment and give yourself some time to grow, learn, and mature as a nurse. All of this will help you obtain your ultimate goal of becoming an fnp.

Yes...agree. Why the rush? Just wondering, are you at all interested in being an RN or actually only want the NP? Many times I have preferred my NP's for my primary care than many/most doctors I have had, and I believe it is because they are also excellent nurses which comes with experience and time. Having said that, I know they are very different roles.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
I have worked with many nurses that came to the OR and went through an extensive orientation of at least 6 months and then worked a few months just to leave to go to NP or CRNA school. this does make the preceptors look down on them because we would take so much time, move slower etc. to make sure they understood what they were doing and why, only to fel betrayed when they leave. Understanding all along that this is how people advance but it is tough to work along side and train someone knowing that they are only there to learn the basics and leave. Then the cycle starts over again.

This is what I do not understand, so I will appreciate if you explain.

Everybody knows how much opportunities nursing offers for smart people. Everybody knows what the opportunities bring up -better life, better money, freedom from countless policies, etc. Everybody knows that almost all bedside nursing is mostly thankless tedious job with rare brighter moments studded here and there. I do understand that putting a lot of effort into a new grad and seeing him or her making way to the better career is kind of not the most pleasant feeling. But, considering the above and that it is natural for the people to serk better ways in life, wouldn't it just be more constructive for your place to be proud of at least initially getting cream of the crop (because that's what you get if you send nurses in CRNA schools). Why, instead of being negative and looking down upon these people, be happy for them and do whatever to make them wanting to get back as CRNAs and NPs? Why not to even make it marketing accent? "Go work with us for three years, and we guarantee you hitting the grad program of your choice!"

I ask because I was never covered my plans to go further and was treated badly many times because of it. My current place, which is a lowly LTACH, actively supports nurses who chose to go back in school even if it is obvious the they will leave right after. Many people got exited when I made my way into a leading university and none of us ever had any problem with "looking down upon" from anyone. Oppositely, we enjoy full support, including a little help with money, research projects, and even with finding preceptors.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
This is what I do not understand, so I will appreciate if you explain.

But, considering the above and that it is natural for the people to serk better ways in life, wouldn't it just be more constructive for your place to be proud of at least initially getting cream of the crop (because that's what you get if you send nurses in CRNA schools). Why, instead of being negative and looking down upon these people, be happy for them and do whatever to make them wanting to get back as CRNAs and NPs? Why not to even make it marketing accent? "Go work with us for three years, and we guarantee you hitting the grad program of your choice!"

.

It may be different where you live, but in the most of the US, it costs a fortune to orient a new graduate nurse -- especially to a specialty unit that cares for critical, complex patients. A good estimate is to think in terms of 1 full year's salary and benefits. So the new grads who come and get the education -- and then leave shortly thereafter are draining our hospitals of the resources we need to provide better patient care and/or better working conditions for the existing staff.

The rapid turnover of these nurses keep us short-staffed and make us work harder. The money we spend on the (with little return on our big investment) is not available for higher salaries, new equipment, more staff, etc. We keep pouring money and valuable nursing time into training these new grads ... and they give us next to nothing in return if they leave soon after orientation is over. We can't afford to keep giving so much our money and ourselves away to people who simply take it and leave. That leaves nothing for the patients and the staff who stay.

That's why we don't like it when staff leaves soon after orientation.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

When I started nursing, I assumed (due to AllNurses :sarcastic:) that I could leave my new grad job after a year without any bad blood; I think it's because people on AN are always talking about putting in your 'mandatory first year' before quitting a job they despise. I was pretty shocked to realize that on my unit, that definitely was not the case. Your unit will spend tens of thousands of dollars training you as a new grad, so they may be ticked off to see you go so soon.

What people don't seem to realize is that the most vocal members of AN are not necessarily the wisest. You get one COB recommending a "mandatory minimum of two years" and bunches of new grads and students saying that one year ought to be OK, and if you're miserable in your first year (which seems to be common) you should just go ahead and quit. And new grads walk away from that discussion thinking that one year is OK and you can quit sooner without consequences.

This is a great place to get advice, but if you want to hear what you already think you could save yourself some data charges and just talk to your friends about it. You're wasting a potentially valuable resource if you don't listen to the COBs telling you things you don't really want to hear.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
This is what I do not understand, so I will appreciate if you explain.

Everybody knows how much opportunities nursing offers for smart people. Everybody knows what the opportunities bring up -better life, better money, freedom from countless policies, etc. Everybody knows that almost all bedside nursing is mostly thankless tedious job with rare brighter moments studded here and there. I do understand that putting a lot of effort into a new grad and seeing him or her making way to the better career is kind of not the most pleasant feeling. But, considering the above and that it is natural for the people to serk better ways in life, wouldn't it just be more constructive for your place to be proud of at least initially getting cream of the crop (because that's what you get if you send nurses in CRNA schools). Why, instead of being negative and looking down upon these people, be happy for them and do whatever to make them wanting to get back as CRNAs and NPs? Why not to even make it marketing accent? "Go work with us for three years, and we guarantee you hitting the grad program of your choice!"

I ask because I was never covered my plans to go further and was treated badly many times because of it. My current place, which is a lowly LTACH, actively supports nurses who chose to go back in school even if it is obvious the they will leave right after. Many people got exited when I made my way into a leading university and none of us ever had any problem with "looking down upon" from anyone. Oppositely, we enjoy full support, including a little help with money, research projects, and even with finding preceptors.

Where do I even start?

"Everyone knows that almost all bedside nursing is mostly thankless tedious job"? Not everyone "knows" that. In fact, thousands of nurses actually enjoy bedside nursing and you've just proven yourself ignorant AND insulted them all. Congratulations! This might be why you were treated badly several times by colleagues. Not because you were moving on, but because you considered yourself better than them and your career aspirations better than theirs.

"Everyone knows that the better opportunities bring up better life, better money, freedom from countless policies . . . ". Better check your facts there, girl. Advanced degrees cost a lot of money and I've heard from more than one new NP or CRNA that the extra money they get (and more) is instantly sucked into the abyss of student loans. Better life? I guess it depends upon what you think constitutes a better life, but again, I know plenty of NPs who work nights, weekends and holidays right along beside me and many of them not only make less money than I do but still have to pay those student loans. And freedom from constant policies? You don't get to skip the policies just because you've got more initials after your name. You just feel the impact of DIFFERENT policies than you do at the bedside, not fewer. In fact, you may be stuck with MORE policies because part of the policies for the bedside nurse include calling the NP to do that blood culture stick, push that drug or change that dressing.

I'm all for people going to NP school if they've been nurses for long enough to have mastered the role, and if the different role of NP is what they truly aspire to. Same for CRNA school. The key is being an RN long enough to truly master the role -- and to have become an asset to the unit rather than a money pit we've just invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of training hours into only to have them move on before we get any return on our investment. If you're just escaping the bedside because you feel it is beneath you, I have no sympathy if your coworkers treat you badly.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Dear Ruby Vee,

I am truly sorry to see you so bitter toward new nurses.

It is clearly the case for respectful disagreement.

P.S. I am treated with high respect where I work, despite of my severe misconducts of being smart and independent.

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Embrace your new job. Enjoy being a nurse. Learn everything you can. Invest in your employer and your professional development. Join committees. Get board certified in your specialty area. Be in the moment and give yourself some time to grow, learn, and mature as a nurse. All of this will help you obtain your ultimate goal of becoming an fnp.

This may sound stupid but being board certified in a certain specialty as an RN is something I didn't know you could do. Sounds intriguing! I've worked with children for 13 years and can't not see myself in pediatrics. Would be cool to hold certain certifications. I too want to continue on the NP route after being a nurse for a while.

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Forensics, Addictions.

Here is where you can find information on board certification.

ANCC Certification Center

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This is what I do not understand, so I will appreciate if you explain.

Why, instead of being negative and looking down upon these people, be happy for them and do whatever to make them wanting to get back as CRNAs and NPs? Why not to even make it marketing accent? "Go work with us for three years, and we guarantee you hitting the grad program of your choice!"

I don't think it's negative to say that employees who work for the minimum time needed to get into an advanced practice nursing program and then leave the place that trained them for that are not beneficial to the hospital. it's true. when I have spent countless hours precepting and mentoring a new nurse so that one day I can hope she will be able to help me by filling staffing gaps and easing my workload I don't feel very warm and fuzzy when she then says she's not going to be doing that, she's going to be taking everything she's learned on orientation and running as fast as she can out of the hospital, heading for grad school! and I'm not going to be happy for them possibly returning to my hospital as a CRNA or NP because I don't work side by side with those titles, I need help from RNs who work bedside and know what they're doing!

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Yes...agree. Why the rush? Just wondering, are you at all interested in being an RN or actually only want the NP? Many times I have preferred my NP's for my primary care than many/most doctors I have had, and I believe it is because they are also excellent nurses which comes with experience and time. Having said that, I know they are very different roles.

I worked as a pharmacy tech for 6 years then was a stay at home mom/student for 10 so I have a late start at beginning my career. My career goal is to be a nurse practitioner but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy being a RN I just don't want to wait too long to go back to school. I could have gone to PA school just as easily but I WANTED to get the nursing experience before becoming a mid level provider. I actually don't have to work at all while in the masters program however I WANT the extra two to three years of nursing experience on top of the year I'll have before school starts back. I did actually talk to my preceptor yesterday about whether nurses that come to work in the ER end up in NP school and she said many do and the hospital supports them because most stay in the hospital system (which includes the level 2 trauma hospital plus many other facilities that employ NPs.) She said they are more supported if they sign a contract to stay within the system which I'm almost certain I'll do because it would guarantee a job within a wonderful system. I still did not disclose that my plan is to start next fall and drop some hours but I'm feeling confident that IF I'm ready and the staff agrees that I am then I will be fully supported. Of course if I don't feel ready then I'll just keep working until I do, however long that may be.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Dear Ruby Vee,

I am truly sorry to see you so bitter toward new nurses.

It is clearly the case for respectful disagreement.

P.S. I am treated with high respect where I work, despite of my severe misconducts of being smart and independent.

I'm not bitter toward new nurses, I'm bitter toward new nurses who think bedside nursing is beneath them and are using my unit only as a stepping stone to get them into grad school. That's you, from your post. And there was nothing respectful about that post.

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